Schaffhausen (shäfhou'zən), canton (1993 pop. 73,000), 115 sq mi (298 sq km), N Switzerland. Entirely on the right (northern) bank of the Rhine River, the canton consists of three noncontiguous agricultural and forested areas, which are largely surrounded by German territory. Its inhabitants, who are German-speaking and largely Protestant, raise cereals, fruit, and vegetables and produce a fine wine. Nearly all of the canton's industry is concentrated in the town of Neuhausen and in the adjoining city of Schaffhausen (1993 pop. 33,900), the original settlement and capital of the canton. Schaffhausen is an old city, picturesquely situated on the Rhine. Machinery, metal goods, jewelry, cement, glass, paper, chemicals, woolen textiles, and watches are produced. The Rheinfall, a cataract of the Rhine, plunges c.70 ft (20 m) just southwest of the city and is harnessed for hydroelectric power. Originally a Benedictine abbey (founded c.1050), Schaffhausen became (c.1208) a free city of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled first by its abbots, then by the Hapsburgs, and, after c.1415, by its local trade guilds. It joined the Swiss Confederation in 1501. With an 11th-century minster, a hilltop castle (the Munot), and several old houses, Schaffhausen retains much of its medieval character.
Schaffhausen
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| Population | 33,693 (December 2007[update]) | |||||||||
| - Density | 1,087 /km2 (2,815 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Area | 31.00 km2 (11.97 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 403 m (1,322 ft) | |||||||||
| Postal code | 8200 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 2939 | |||||||||
| Mayor (list) | Marcel Wenger (as of 2008) FDP/PRD | |||||||||
| Surrounded by (view map) |
Beringen, Büsingen am Hochrhein (DE-BW), Büttenhardt, Dörflingen, Feuerthalen (ZH), Flurlingen (ZH), Hemmental, Merishausen, Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Stetten, Thayngen | |||||||||
| Twin towns | Sindelfingen (Germany), Singen am Hohentwiel (Germany), Dobrich (Bulgaria) | |||||||||
| Website | www.stadt-schaffhausen.ch Profile (German), SFSO statistics |
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![Schaffhausen [zoom] is located in Switzerland](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Switzerland_location_map.svg)
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Schaffhausen (German: 
Schaffhausen (help·info)) is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 33,693 as of December 2007[update].[1]
The old portion of the city has many fine Renaissance era buildings decorated with exterior frescos and sculpture, as well as the impressive old canton fortress, the Munot. A train runs out of town to the nearby Rhine Falls in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Europe's largest waterfall, a tourist attraction.
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Origin of the name
The town is first mentioned in 1045 as Villa Scafhusun. There are at least two theories on the origin of this name. One is related to a mention of a "ford" across the Rhine River that first occurs in 1050. This "ford" may actually refer to a scapha or skiff which was used to disembark goods coming from Constance to move them around the Rhine Falls. The name Scafhusun then arose from the scapha used at that point. Another theory is that Scafhusun comes from Schaf (a sheep), as a ram (now a sheep) formed the ancient arms of the town, derived from those of its founders, the counts of Nellenburg.[2]
History
Schaffhausen was a city state in the Middle Ages, documented to have struck its own coins from 1045.[2] About 1050 the counts of Nellenburg founded the Benedictine monastery of All Saints, which became the center of the town. Perhaps as early as 1190, certainly in 1208, it was an imperial free city, while the first seal dates from 1253. The powers of the abbot were gradually limited and in 1277 the Emperor Rudolf I gave the town a charter of liberties. In 1330 the emperor Louis of Bavaria pledged it to the Habsburgs. In the early 15th century, Habsburg power over the city waned. By 1411 the guilds ruled the city. Then, in 1415 the Habsburg Duke Frederick IV of Austria sided with the Antipope John XXIII at the Council of Constance, and was banned by the Emperor Sigismund. As a result of the ban and Frederick's need of money, Schaffhausen was able to buy its independence from the Habsburgs in 1418. The city allied with six of the Swiss confederates in 1454 and allied with a further two (Uri and Unterwalden) in 1479. Schaffhausen became a full member of the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1501.
The Reformation was adopted, initially, in 1524 and completely in 1529. The town was heavily damaged during the Thirty Years' War from the passage of Swedish (Protestant) and Bavarian (Roman Catholic) troops and the very important bridge was burnt down. It was not till the early 19th century that the arrested industrial development of the town took a fresh start.[2] In 1857 the first railroad, the Rheinfall-Bahn running from Winterthur, reached Schaffhausen.[3]
Schaffhausen is located in a finger of Swiss territory surrounded on three sides by Germany. On April 1, 1944, Schaffhausen suffered a bombing raid by United States Army Air Forces aircraft which strayed from German airspace into neutral Switzerland. About a hundred civilians were killed[4]; the United States immediately offered a million dollars in reparations.
Industry
Schaffhausen hosts some well-known industrial companies like Georg Fischer (piping systems, machine tools and automotives), an internationally-reputed manufacturer of watches (IWC), pharmaceutical industry (Cilag, founded by Bernhard Joos) and BB Biotech (biotechnologies).
Transportation
Schaffhausen is a stop of the Zürich S-Bahn on the line S16. Schaffhausen is also a stop on the S33 line that operates between Schaffhausen and Winterthur, and is also a regular stop for high-speed trains to Bern via Zürich, and Stuttgart from Zürich, operated by DB.
Schaffhausen also has a bus network of six lines, linking it with nearby places such as Herblingen and Neuhausen am Rheinfall.
Sport
The town has two football teams, SV Schaffhausen of the second tier, the Swiss 1. Liga, and FC Schaffhausen of the Swiss Challenge League.
Weather
| Weather data for Schaffhausen | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 1.6 (35) |
4.3 (40) |
8.8 (48) |
13.3 (56) |
17.9 (64) |
21.1 (70) |
23.6 (74) |
22.8 (73) |
19.4 (67) |
13.3 (56) |
6.5 (44) |
2.5 (37) |
12.9 (55) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | -1 (30) |
0.8 (33) |
4.4 (40) |
8.2 (47) |
12.5 (55) |
15.6 (60) |
17.8 (64) |
17 (63) |
13.9 (57) |
8.9 (48) |
3.4 (38) |
0.1 (32) |
8.5 (47) |
| Average low °C (°F) | -3.3 (26) |
-2.3 (28) |
0.6 (33) |
3.9 (39) |
7.9 (46) |
10.9 (52) |
12.5 (55) |
12.1 (54) |
9.5 (49) |
5.7 (42) |
1.1 (34) |
-1.9 (29) |
4.7 (40) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 65 (2.56) |
64 (2.52) |
59 (2.32) |
66 (2.6) |
77 (3.03) |
97 (3.82) |
88 (3.46) |
98 (3.86) |
62 (2.44) |
63 (2.48) |
73 (2.87) |
71 (2.8) |
883 (34.76) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 11.2 | 9.3 | 11.2 | 10.9 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.7 | 11.6 | 8.2 | 7.8 | 10.1 | 10.4 | 124.9 |
| Source: MeteoSchweiz[5] May 8, 2009 | |||||||||||||
Gallery
 Church portal of All Saints Abbey |
 Cathedral interior of All Saints Abbey |
 Restaurant Thiergarten and Munot tower |
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 St John's church |
See also
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Schaffhausen |
- City of Schaffhausen (German)
- Schaffhausen Tourism (English)
- City archives (German)
- U.S. Bombings of Switzerland during World War II
References
- ^ Bundesamt fur Statistik (Federal Department of Statistics) (2008). "Bilanz der ständigen Wohnbevölkerung (Total) nach Bezirken und Gemeinden". http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/01/02/blank/key/raeumliche_verteilung/kantone__gemeinden.html. Retrieved November 5, 2008. (German)
- ^ a b c "Schaffhausen (city)". Encyclopædia Britannica. 24. 1911. pp. 312. http://books.google.com/books?id=ajsEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA312. Retrieved 18 April 2009.
- ^ Canton Schaffhausen website-Numbers and facts accessed 18 April 2009. (German)
- ^ Atkinson, Rick, The Day of the Battle
- ^ "Temperature and precipitation average values table, 1961–90" (in German, French, Italian). Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss. http://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/web/de/klima/klima_schweiz/tabellen.html. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
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- Hallauer (family name)
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- Marthaler (family name)
- Felix Lindtmayer II (art)
- Johannes von Winterthur (person)
- John Snetzler (music)
- Abel Stimmer (art)
- Lindtmayer (art)
- Rheinauer Weltgerichtsspiel (work)
- II Werner K?bler (art)
- Ernst Hess (music)
- Fintan of Rheinau
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